Oakland Standing Tall Among State's Elite
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
October 11, 2018
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep capped the first fall volleyball season in MHSAA history in 2007 with a Class B championship – the first won in any class by an Oakland County high school. Bloomfield Hills Marian in Class A and Birmingham Roeper in Class D also reached Finals that fall.
Before that season, teams from the county had reached title matches just six times since 1975-76, when the MHSAA began sponsoring a postseason tournament for the sport. (Volleyball began as a winter sport and moved to fall for the 2007-08 school year.) But since Notre Dame won its 2007 title, Oakland County teams have won seven more MHSAA championships: Notre Dame Prep two more in Class B, Marian two in Class A, and Novi – led by 2017 Miss Volleyball Award winner Erin O’Leary – won the last three Class A titles.
Which leads us to this season. Of the 10 nominees for Miss Volleyball, an unprecedented five are from Oakland County: Lake Orion’s Paige Briggs, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Maddy Chinn and Natalie Risi, Bloomfield Hills Marian’s Madison Dowd and Troy’s Jessica Robinson. Of the top four vote-getters for last season’s award, three were from Oakland County.
Chinn and Risi’s coach, Betty Wroubel, who is third on the all-time list for coaching victories (1,422 before this season), said there are a number of reasons why teams in her county are competing at a higher level recently.
“For a long time the programs on the west side were way ahead of us,” Wroubel said. “Some of it is travel (teams). But much of it is competition. In July we do a camp to get the players in the area more involved. Marian led the way for so long, and others are catching up. Also, the kids are getting taller. They’re stronger. Schools in the area offer more conditioning for the players.”
Before this season, Notre Dame Prep had three past candidates for Miss Volleyball. In the fall of 2007, Molly (Coldren) Campbell finished second in the voting to Kyndra Abron of Livonia Churchill. Four years ago, Katherine Carlson became the first and only Notre Dame Prep player to win the award.
Wroubel said both Chinn and Risi stack up well when compared to the other fine players who have come through her program.
“(Maddy) has something going,” Wroubel said. “In those big moments, when your team needs it, she thrives. When the game is on the line, she’s there. She understands the game, like a coach does. What she’s improved on is hitting a variety of shots. She can put the ball down. Even as a freshman, she had that ability.”
At 6-foot-3, Chinn, an outside hitter, is a dominant player at the net. Risi’s versatility sets her apart from the competition. At 6 foot, she also is positioned as an outside hitter – and this season she’s also become one of the team’s top setters.
“Natalie is a calming force,” Wroubel said. “She could be a setter on any team. She’s quiet. You won’t notice her on the court sometimes. When you do take notice, you can’t take your eyes off of her. She’s so smooth.
“I feel bad that they’re in the same class. I don’t know who I’m going to vote for.”
Statistically, Chinn has impressed with 446 kills and 96 blocks. Risi has 140 aces with a .430 hitting percentage. Risi’s aces already make the MHSAA single-season record book list in that category, and Chinn is on pace to make the kills list.
Mayssa Cook is in her first season as head coach at Marian and her setter, Madison Dowd, is a nominee. Cook played volleyball at Dearborn High before graduating in 2003 and playing four years in college, the last two at Wayne State. Cook began coaching the freshmen team at Dearborn a year after graduating from high school. She built the program at Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard as she guided the Irish to a District title in 2013, her first season as head coach, and the school’s first Regional title the next season – before Gabriel Richard then won the Class B title in 2015 with a perfect 42-0 record. Cook (her maiden name is Bazzi) left Gabriel Richard after 2016 and took off from coaching as she gave birth to her first child.
Cook has seen the game change dramatically since the early 2000s. She was a three-sport athlete for the Pioneers, and even though she was a fine player, she said she’s not sure she would make varsity now with the skill set she possessed then.
“Look at the 10 nominees,” she said. “All 10 play travel. You don’t get to be a top-10 player by playing three months. I played three sports (in high school). I played travel soccer. I played travel volleyball but I didn’t play 11 months of volleyball.
“Ten years ago, many schools on this side of the state would go to the west side to get competition. It’s a lot more balanced now. There are still great teams over there, but we don’t have to travel three hours to play the good teams. We can go 10 minutes.”
Dowd, a four-year varsity player and a two-year captain, typifies a well-rounded student-athlete. She has a 4.2 grade-point average, and on the court not only is she a fine player but a valuable teammate. She has 808 assists and 217 digs, and her 1,531 assists as a junior rank ninth in MHSAA history.
“A lot of it has to do with her personality,” Cook said. “She’s not the loudest person on the court. She has a calming presence. She leads by example and is that player who makes her teammates better.”
Dowd has received a number of scholarship offers for volleyball but has yet to decide where she will go after this school year is done.
Over the years Marian has had a host of players nominated for Miss Volleyball, which was created in 2003. That season Erin Poglits was the first Marian player to make the list. Alexandra Cocklin was named Miss Volleyball in 2009 and her teammate, Rachel Charles, was second in the voting. The next season Marian’s Alexandra Lovell finished second and her teammate, Alessandra Dietz, was fourth. Before this season, somewhat surprisingly, the last Marian player to make the top 10 was Jessie Kopmeyer in 2013.
Jessica Robinson (6-2) from Troy and Paige Briggs (5-10) from Lake Orion also are accomplished outside hitters.
Robinson is the first player from Troy to be a nominee and entering this season she had 1,174 kills and 588 digs for her career. She had 740 kills as a junior to rank among the most successful single-season hitters in state volleyball history.
“In college (Robinson has committed to University of Michigan), she’ll be a middle hitter,” said Troy coach Tom Vigilant. “But for us, we have her on the outside. She plays all around. If I need an attacker on the back, I can go to her. But she does what she does best, and that’s at the net.”
Lake Orion’s only other nominee, Courtney Wightman, came in 2015. Lake Orion is one of those Oakland County programs that has made significant strides in the past decade. Its 2011 team reached the Class A Final before losing to Rockford.
Briggs suffered a back injury last season, which limited her effectiveness. Lake Orion coach Tony Scavarda said she has fully recovered and helped make the Dragons one of the top teams in the county.
“She’s made a huge impact for us,” he said. “She passes from the back row, plays good defense and she’s got good leaping ability. She does everything well. At 5-10, she jumps really well and is smart with the ball. We have other players her size who can’t do what she does.”
Briggs is close behind Chinn with 444 kills and is among the leaders in digs with 340. She’s also on pace to make the single-season kills record book list.
Lake Orion lost to Clarkston in the District last season, but with a healthy Briggs the Dragons are off to a 41-4 start and looking for their first District title since 2015.
Scavarda, in his fifth season as head coach, said it is a bit surprising to have five players from the same county in the running for Miss Volleyball, but adds that it is another indication of how strong the level of play has been in Oakland County over the last decade.
“Oakland County is always pretty strong,” he said. “Clarkston is always good, and they might be a little down this season but not by much. Marian and (Farmington Hills) Mercy are always good, too.”
Tom Markowski is a contributing writer for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Oakland County’s five Miss Volleyball candidates, from left: Lake Orion’s Paige Briggs, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Maddy Chinn, Bloomfield Hills Marian’s Madison Dowd, Notre Dame Prep’s Natalie Risi and Troy’s Jessica Robinson. (Middle) Head shots: Chinn and Risi, Dowd, Robinson and Briggs. (Robinson action photo courtesy of C&G Newspapers; Briggs action photo courtesy of State Champs! Sports Network).
Preview: Contenders Converging at Kellogg to Complete Storybook Seasons
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 15, 2023
This weekend’s Girls Volleyball Semifinals and Finals at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena have plenty of storylines for fans to follow – and almost assuredly won’t include a repeat of the snowstorm that blanketed last season’s championship rounds.
Six teams who braved the 2022 blizzard will be back this weekend, and among those six are four of the nine teams playing in pursuit of a first MHSAA Finals championship in this sport.
Reigning Division 2 champion North Branch will be back with almost the same lineup, joined by two more top-ranked teams – Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central in Division 3 and Adrian Lenawee Christian in Division 4. Last season’s Division 1 runner-up Northville also is returning, along with 2022 Division 3 runner-up Kalamazoo Christian.
Four of this season’s 10 Miss Volleyball Award finalists will close the season at Kellogg, as will at least a few of the strongest contenders for the 2024 award.
Action begins Thursday with Division 2 and 3 Semifinals, with Divisions 1 and 4 on Friday and all four title matches Saturday.
All 12 matches will be broadcast on MHSAA.tv and (audio) MHSAANetwork.com. Find more information, including how to purchase tickets, on the Volleyball page.
This weekend’s schedule:
Division 1 – Friday
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern vs. Northville, 4:30 p.m.
Clarkston vs. Farmington Hills Mercy, 6:30 p.m.
Division 2 - Thursday
Milan vs. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 4:30 p.m.
North Branch vs. Grand Rapids Christian, 6:30 p.m.
Division 3 – Thursday
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central vs. Kalamazoo Christian, Noon
Cass City vs. Traverse City St. Francis, 2 p.m.
Division 4 – Friday
Adrian Lenawee Christian vs. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, Noon
Leland vs. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 2 p.m.
Finals – Saturday
Division 1, Noon
Division 2, 2:30 p.m.
Division 3, 4:30 p.m.
Division 4, 10 a.m.
Below is a glance at contenders in each division. (Statistics are through Regional Finals unless noted.)
Division 1
CLARKSTON
Record/rank: 34-3, No. 3
Coach: Ali Smith, third season (106-23-3)
League finish: First in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Cayla Cogan, 5-10 sr. OH (314 kills, .305 hitting %); Marlie Smith, 5-10 fr. OPP/S (310 kills, 255 assists, 69 aces, 268 digs); Emery Kuebler, 5-6 sr. S (756 assists).
Finals forecast: Clarkston is headed back to the Semifinals for the second time in four seasons after most recently making the trip in 2020, and the Wolves’ only losses this fall were to No. 2 Northville, No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Marian, and honorable mention Farmington Hills Mercy – their Semifinal opponent. Clarkston defeated Mercy twice as well, and lost only 15 games all season. Kuebler made the Division 1 all-state second team last season and sets to five hitters with at least 100 kills this fall. Cogan was a Miss Volleyball Award finalist and has committed to George Washington University, and senior libero Kiley Gallagher (400 digs, 128 assists, 52 aces) has signed with Oakland.
FARMINGTON HILLS MERCY
Record/rank: 30-15-3, honorable mention
Coach: Loretta Vogel, 15th season (record N/A)
League finish: Third in Detroit Catholic High School League Central
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2019, Class A runner-up 2010.
Players to watch: Kate Kalczynski, 5-11 fr. OH (427 kills, 63 aces, 243 digs); Cree Hollier, 5-9 soph. MH (204 kills, .301 hitting %, 54 blocks); Campbell Flynn, 6-3 jr. S (466 assists, 107 kills, .432 hitting %).
Finals forecast: After splitting four regular-season matches with rival Marian, Mercy swept their Quarterfinal matchup to return to the Semifinals for the first time since the championship season of 2019. And the Marlins may just be getting started again, with only two seniors on the roster but three sophomores in the starting lineup. Flynn made the all-state first team last season and already has committed to national power Nebraska. Sophomore Maya Zarow entered the week with the second-most kills on the team at 212, with lone senior starter Angie Butler (163 kills, 200 digs) also in that mix. Vogel is in her 44th season total of coaching high school volleyball and has more than 1,100 victories.
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS NORTHERN
Record/rank: 44-7-1, No. 5
Coach: Valerie Lurye, first season (20-2)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference White
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2002), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Elana Erickson, 5-10 sr. OH (626 kills, 67 aces, 463 digs); Kendall Hopewell, 6-1 sr. MB (356 kills, .340 hitting %, 66 blocks); Lexie Stotenbur, 5-10 soph. S (1,351 assists, 51 aces, 299 digs).
Finals forecast: Forest Hills Northern is making a repeat trip to Kellogg Arena after falling to eventual champion Marian in last year’s Semifinal. The Huskies graduated a Miss Volleyball finalist but return four starters from that lineup, including all-state second-teamers Erickson and Hopewell – Erickson was a Miss Volleyball finalist this fall and will continue at Western Michigan. FHN is 15-1 over its last 16 matches, the lone loss to Marian, and the Huskies avenged their two regular-season defeats to top-ranked Hudsonville with a 3-1 Regional Semifinal victory. They followed that with wins over No. 8 Byron Center and honorable mention Grand Haven to advance to this weekend.
NORTHVILLE
Record/rank: 49-2, No. 2
Coach: Sarah Lindstom, third season (145-11)
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West and overall
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2022.
Players to watch: Ella Craggs, 5-9 jr. S (1,116 assists, 61 blocks); Molly Reck, 5-10 jr. OH (453 kills); Avry Nelson, 6-3 sr. MB (314 kills, .352 hitting %, 93 blocks).
Finals forecast: Northville also graduated a Miss Volleyball finalist from last season’s team, but has five starters back after winning the first set before falling to Marian in four in the championship match. The only losses this season were to top-ranked Hudsonville and No. 7 Rockford, and Northville also defeated the Rams, and Marian, and downed No. 9 Temperance Bedford and honorable mentions Saline and South Lyon East on the way to Battle Creek. Craggs made the all-state second team and Nelson made the third last season, and several players have committed to play college volleyball including senior defensive specialist Ashlee Gnau, who has signed with Syracuse, and Craggs who has committed to Illinois State. Junior Mallory Reck is another major offensive contributor with 380 kills entering this week.
Division 2
GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 35-12-1, No. 2
Coach: Amy Huisken, second season (record N/A)
League finish: Fourth in O-K White
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2020, 2019 and 2018.
Players to watch: Grace Goodyke, 6-0 fr. OH (291 kills); Hanna Bredeweg, 5-8 sr. S/RH (149 kills, 394 assists, 53 blocks, 242 digs); Grace Spoelma, 5-7 sr. S/RH (148 kills, 402 assists). (Statistics include Quarterfinal.)
Finals forecast: The Eagles are headed back to the Semifinals after a season away, and Bredeweg and Spoelma also were top contributors as sophomores on the 2021 Semifinals team. Grand Rapids Christian defeated No. 4 Lake Odessa Lakewood and honorable mention Ada Forest Hills Eastern on the way to Kellogg this time. Six hitters have at least 100 kills, and junior libero Madison Peal has totaled 417 digs this fall.
GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 37-9-6, unranked
Coach: Megan Eversman, ninth season (259-130-19)
League finish: Second in O-K Blue
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Emma Tuttle, 5-11 sr. OH (378 kills, 62 blocks, 501 digs); Brooke Tietz, 6-0 sr. MB (417 kills, 128 blocks, 189 digs); Emma Arsulowicz, 5-4 jr. S (475 assists, 218 digs).
Finals forecast: West Catholic has followed up its first Regional championship won last season with its first trip to the Semifinals and is riding a 20-match winning streak. The Falcons have lost only seven sets during the 20-match run, including two in defeating honorable mention Ludington 3-2 in the Quarterfinal. Tuttle and Tietz have been the lead hitters, but Arsulowicz is one of four juniors total in the starting lineup. Five hitters have at least 125 kills, with 6-1 junior middle Mia Henne another key contributor with 211 and a team-high 130 blocks entering the week.
MILAN
Record/rank: 29-6-2, unranked
Coach: Makenna Slack, first season
League finish: Second in Huron League
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Courtney Nye, 5-7 sr. OH (352 kills, 260 digs); Malea Wourman, 5-7 jr. OH (294 kills, 206 digs); Madison Slack, 6-0 soph. S (864 assists, 235 digs).
Finals forecast: Makenna Slack was a four-year starter for Milan only a few seasons ago, graduating in 2020, and her first season leading the program has included the longest tournament run in Milan volleyball history. The Big Reds did reach the Regional Final last season, losing the Dearborn Divine Child, and followed up their first Regional title last week by defeating Divine Child in Tuesday’s Quarterfinal. They’ve swept eight of their last nine opponents, and three of their six losses came to teams playing this weekend (Monroe St. Mary twice and Lenawee Christian). Nye and middle Maria Stines (113 kills) both start and with defensive specialist Hailey Knox are the team’s only seniors.
NORTH BRANCH
Record/rank: 53-4-1, No. 1
Coach: Jim Fish, 24th season (1,325-223-52)
League finish: First in Blue Water Area Conference
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2022), five runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Adrienne Greschaw, 5-8 sr. S (1,216 assists); Hailey Green, 5-1 sr. L (481 digs, 60 aces); Clara Gyomory, 5-9 sr. RS (431 kills, .395 hitting %, 64 blocks).
Finals forecast: The reigning Division 2 champion, and 2021 runner-up, is absolutely loaded with five starters plus libero Green back from last season. Green and Greschaw were Miss Volleyball finalists this fall and joined by Gyomory on last year’s Division 2 all-state first team, while seniors Alana Deshetsky (445 kills, .301 hitting %, 89 aces) and Kaela Chingwa made the third team in 2022. Sophomore Aubree Deshetsky has been filling up the stat sheet too this season with 455 kills and 387 digs entering the week. The Broncos’ only losses were to Division 1 top-ranked Hudsonville, No. 4 Marian, Division 2 Division 5 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Chicago Marist, and they defeated No. 3 Marysville, No. 6 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and No. 7 Frankenmuth over their last three matches.
Division 3
CASS CITY
Record/rank: 34-6-5, No. 10
Coach: Amy Cuthrell, eighth season (166-46-12)
League finish: First in Greater Thumb Conference West
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Shelby Ignash, 6-0 jr. M/DS (469 kills, 93 blocks, 334 digs); Kacee Gray, 5-7 jr. OH/DS (424 kills, 340 digs); Isabelle Phillips, 5-6 jr. S (968 assists, 58 aces).
Finals forecast: Four of six starters are back from the Cass City team that reached the Semifinals a year ago, with the three listed above joined by senior Josie Spencer – the only senior on the team. Ignash made the all-state first team last season, and Gray earned an honorable mention, and they’ve been the top hitters as the Red Hawks have put together a postseason run of four shutouts and a 3-1 win over No. 8 Saginaw Valley Lutheran in the Quarterfinal. Spencer (340 digs, 189 kills) remains a key part of the lineup. Cass City is 12-0-2 over its last 14 matches and had an early split this fall with Kalamazoo Christian.
KALAMAZOO CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 41-6-3, No. 4
Coach: Carlie Southland, second season (79-12-6)
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2022, Lower Peninsula Class C-D runner-up 1976.
Players to watch: Holland DeVries, 5-9 sr. OH (343 kills, 82 aces, 390 digs); Makenna Ekkens, 5-6 sr. OH (352 kills, 93 aces, 509 digs); Lola Stecker, 5-6 sr. S (931 assists, 165 kills).
Finals forecast: Kalamazoo Christian is another repeat Semifinals qualifier and finished Division 3 runner-up last season, losing in four sets to Pewamo-Westphalia – which the Comets defeated Tuesday to advance this time. DeVries made the all-state second team and Ekkens made the third a year ago, and they are joined by three more returning starters from the 2022 championship match – Stecker, junior right-side hitter Annelise DeJong (247 kills) and senior middle Mackenzie Ash (161 kills). Kalamazoo Christian hasn’t lost a set over five postseason matches and has won 17 of its last 18 matches total.
MONROE ST. MARY CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 33-8-1, No. 1
Coach: Cassandra Haut, third season (109-25-1)
League finish: First in Huron League
Championship history: Seven MHSAA titles (most recent 2020), four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Madeline Dettling, 6-0 soph. OH (299 kills); Jessica Costlow, 5-11 jr. OH (408 kills, .353 hitting %, 496 digs); McKenna Payne, 5-7 jr. S (781 assists, 365 digs).
Finals forecast: SMCC has fallen to the eventual Division 3 champion the last two years, and after ending in the Quarterfinals a year ago is back at the Semifinals for the fourth time over the last five seasons. The Kestrels have swept all five of their playoff opponents, including No. 3 Plymouth Christian Academy on Tuesday, and seen most of the best in the state regardless of division with regular-season wins over Mercy, Milan, Marian, Lakewood and Bedford among others. Costlow and Payne made the all-state first team last season, and Dettling made the third team. They are joined in the starting lineup by three seniors who all had at least 120 kills entering the week. Payne has committed to sign with Utah, and Costlow has committed to Toledo.
TRAVERSE CITY ST. FRANCIS
Record/rank: 37-9-1, No. 5
Coach: Kathleen Nance, fifth season (140-67-7)
League finish: First in Lake Michigan Conference
Championship history: Class C runner-up 2012.
Players to watch: Reese Jones, 5-4 soph. S (704 assists, 74 aces, 294 digs); Garnet Mullet, 5-9 sr. OH (333 kills, 91 aces, 357 digs); Avery Nance, 5-4 jr. L (98 aces, 539 digs).
Finals forecast: St. Francis is returning to the Semifinals for the first time since 2018 after defeating No. 7 Calumet and honorable mention Shelby along the way. The Gladiators have won 16 of their last 17 matches, with a loss to Division 1 Traverse City Central the only one during that run. Avery Nance made the all-state third team last season and Mullet earned an honorable mention, and the latter is the team’s only senior as the roster is filled out by four juniors and seven sophomores. Sophomores Quinn Yenshaw (346 kills) and Claire Hurley (277) are two more key hitters, and junior Tessa Konas (504 assists) has led the attack as well. Kathleen Nance formerly coached Central for four seasons and was a two-time state champion player growing up in Oklahoma.
Division 4
ADRIAN LENAWEE CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 46-5-1, No. 1
Coach: Tenille Marowelli, first season (46-5-1)
League finish: First in Tri-County Conference
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2004), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Gabby Bryja, 5-4 sr. S (1,326 assists, 69 aces, 435 digs); Sophia Samonek, 5-11 sr. MH (483 kills, .313 hitting %, 386 digs, 85 blocks); Hannah Baker, 5-11 sr. MH/OH (471 kills, .480 hitting %, 377 digs).
Finals forecast: After reaching the Quarterfinals the last two years, Lenawee Christian has advanced to the Semifinals for the first time since the 2005-06 winter season, a run that has included wins over No. 3 Hillsdale Academy and No. 7 Battle Creek St. Philip. The Cougars also defeated No. 2 Mendon during the regular season. Baker made the all-state first team last season, and Bryja made the second, and they join with Samonek and outside hitter Whitney Lilly (277 kills, 74 aces) to give Lenawee Christian four senior starters. Marowelli played at Lenawee Christian, graduating in 2010, and Spring Arbor before coaching in Indiana and then returning to eventually take over the program.
CLARKSTON EVEREST COLLEGIATE
Record/rank: 30-4-2, No. 10
Coach: Danielle Walker, first season (30-4-2)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic High School League Intersectional
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Sarah Bradley, 6-0 jr. OH (349 kills, .450 hitting %, 210 digs); Erica Walker, 5-6 jr. S/RS (541 assists, 155 digs); Madelyn Krappmann, 5-10 jr. OH (260 kills, .320 hitting %, 53 aces).
Finals forecast: Danielle Walker’s first season has turned into the best in program history as Everest has reached the Semifinals for the first time after also claiming its first Regional title. Krappmann and Bradley earned all-state honorable mentions a year ago and help pace a roster that has only one senior. The Mountaineers defeated No. 6 Marlette on Tuesday to advance and are 15-1-1 over their last 17 matches.
CRYSTAL FALLS FOREST PARK
Record/rank: 34-2, No. 9
Coach: Bobbie Jo Anderson, fourth season (86-36-9)
League finish: First in Skyline Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Ema Stepien, 5-8 OH sr. (288 kills, .400 hitting %, 98 aces); Elsie Williams, 5-5 soph. S/OH (410 assists); Ava Fischer, 5-6 soph. OH (237 kills, .350 hitting %, 67 aces, 222 digs).
Finals forecast: Forest Park is making a return trip to Battle Creek as well and has taken another big step with 12 more wins than a year ago. The entire starting lineup except for last season’s libero is back, and four seniors are among eight in the main playing group. Senior middle Leah Feldhausen (212 kills, .350 hitting %) is another key hitter, and senior Charlie Larson (373 assists, 52 aces) also directs the attack while junior Audrey Franz paced the defense with 400 digs entering the week. The Trojans’ only two losses were to Kingsford, a Division 2 District winner.
LELAND
Record/rank: 40-16-2, No. 4
Coach: Laurie Glass, 29th season (1,123-362-102)
League finish: First in Northwest Conference
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), eight runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Fiona Moord, 6-2 sr. OH (509 kills, 117 aces, 247 digs); Olive Ryder, 5-8 sr. OH (249 kills, 103 aces, 426 digs); Kelsey Allen, 6-0 sr. MB (318 kills, 56 blocks).
Finals forecast: Leland may be few in number, with just seven players, but is high in experience with five seniors and strong at the net with senior Shelby Plamondon (250 kills) another 6-footer in the middle. Leland fell to eventual Division 4 champion Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart in last season’s Quarterfinal, but avenged with a win over the No. 5 Irish on Tuesday – and seven of the team’s losses were to opponents ranked or earning honorable mentions in Divisions 1, 2 or 3. Moord made the all-state first team last season, and Allen and Ryder made the second team. Junior Abby Hicks directs the attack and had 1,172 assists entering the week, while senior libero Mallory Lowe had a team-high 444 digs and junior Kally Sluiter also is among four players with at least 240.
PHOTOS (Top) Adrienne Greschaw (1) sets the North Branch attack during its Quarterfinal win over Frankenmuth. (Middle) Clarkston's Rylee Hunt (11) prepares to put up a block as Macomb L'Anse Creuse North's Kate Schneider connects during their Division 1 Quarterfinal. (Photos by Terry Lyons.)